ASA upholds our complaint against weight loss supplement claims

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld our complaint against misleading advertising claims made by supplement company USN (UK) Ltd.

The ASA investigated claims relating to three “weight loss” products advertised on the website https://uk.usn-sport.com:

USN’s CLA Thermo was claimed to offer “vital nutrients that cause a Thermogenic reaction within the body”.

Phedra Cut Lipo XT was claimed to provide “breakthrough technology for those looking for an optimised multi-action fat burner”.

Green Tea containing Phytofare was claimed to “support your metabolism and fat oxidation”. It was also claimed that green tea “inhibits an enzyme involved in the thermogenesis of body fat, which for those looking to shed those extra pounds, this can be vital”.

Supplements claiming to burn fat, boost metabolism or assist weight loss can be very tempting, but unfortunately there is no safe, quick fix. At best, claims of this nature are unsubstantiated and consumers risk wasting their time and money. At worst, products like these can be actively dangerous.

The ASA considered that claims relating to fat oxidation, weight loss and fat burning were “health claims”. Only health claims appearing on the EU Register of authorised health claims can be made in advertisements promoting foods (or food supplements). In their response, USN referred to three proposed health claims currently listed as “on hold”. However, the evidence was not adequate to substantiate the advertising claims.